In addition to the residential units, the first floor has several businesses: a laundry mat, Post Office, condo association offices and more. There are 198 units, and in the bottom of the building is the police office, a gym, the city clerk's office and a store. Paranormal enthusiasts claim that the Buckner Building is haunted by restless spirits. From amenities to availability, the community staff will be ready to help you find your perfect apartment. she laughed. She misses being at a school with sports teams, dance classes, and proms. [2] After the war, the military planned to develop a large complex in the area. Karen Dempster, who owns two units in the building, an attorney and a professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, helped write a grant, which will pay for several upgrades to the building. The City Under One Roof (aka Buckner Building, pictured below) was completed in 1953. The building has Internet access and cable, and most rooms have WiFi. (800) 525-7452. "It's like, no, it's not! Also, visit our Weird Attractions, Whittier, Alaska: One Building Houses A Whole Town, Crater of Diamonds: A Wealth of Buried Gems in Arkansas, A little piece of London in Arizona Lake Havasu Citys London Bridge, Devon Island: Canadas Remote Martian Island, Southern Cassadaga Spiritualist Camp: Floridas Mystical Retreat. 762 SqFt Condo In Begich Towers for sale in Whittier, AK. As of 2015, only one of the two boilers serving Begich Towers was functional, but it experienced major maintenance-related issues almost daily. The exterior of the building is getting power-washed and painted and inside the tan colored hallways have been replaced by bright yellow. Cowan asked Shuford, "What do you want people to know about Whittier? Lucky Medez, who moved to Whittier from Guam in her junior year, is one of three students in her graduating class. Thank you for reading about Begich Towers Condos in Whittier AK. It also has radar-unfriendly claustrophobic topography and famously terrible weather, which obscures visibility for much of the year. Mayor Lester Lunceford recently moved from Whittier to Anchorage; his is a part-time, unpaid position, so he commutes into town when he can. Begich Towers is located in the 99693 Zip code of Whittier, AK. We are continuously working to improve the accessibility of our web experience for everyone, and we welcome feedback and accommodation requests. There are benefits to living in the Begich Towers. ]. After a drug bust on the 10th floor of Begich Towers, the Whittier Police donated a hydroponic garden to the kids at Whittier School. Most of the 200-odd residents of the Alaskan town of Whittier all live in the same 14-story condominium - Begich Towers - located on the edge of town. Gary grew up in the hills of Arkansas, where he watched the Little Rock Crisis unfold on his TV screen. The fourteen-story high-risecalled Begich Towers, or BTIcontains a post office, a police station, a grocery store, a Laundromat, a health clinic, and a church. ", "I think the weirdest question that I got was like, 'Is it a cult?'" Parents dont have to worry about kids and traffic at the indoor playground. Your email address will not be published. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. It was designed to house a 1500-man garrison with its own chapel, command offices, brig, TV station, PX, theater, laundry facilities, barber, an enormous mess hall, craft shop, a bowling alley, a shooting range, commissary, bakery, dispensary, and private rooms for officers and NCOs. Construction started with the Hodge Building, along with the Buckner Building 660 yards (600m) to the northeast, with both opening in 1957. All information is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed and should be independently verified for accuracy. The search was called off after 39 days; the plane and its four passengers were never found. Anna laughed. The Hodge Building was transformed into a public building with several units, including the headquarters of the major institutions and commercial services of Whittier. In Whittier's 99693 neighborhood, moving to this community offers plenty of nearby highlights. Avoid Scams and Fraud. Use the map to locate points of interest like shopping, restaurants, andhealth care services. You will not be disappointed if you end up living here. The Magical Tree Of Life in Kalaloch Beach, Washington. Your browser is out of date or unsupported. Brokered And Advertised By: Keller Williams Realty Alaska Group Listing Agent: Michael Schwartz. Pastor Kevin is a Southern Baptist, but most of his parishioners are Catholic immigrants from the Pacific Islands. All Rights Reserved. "In Guam I used to sneak out of the house, so my dad moved us to the perfect place: the tunnel closes at night, so there's nowhere to sneak out to. The city officials are readily accessible on a daily basis. These cozy apartment style condos have a super convenient location in downtown Whittier. $175.00. I got so many comments on my TikTok saying, 'It looks sad. Still, he has convinced some of them to be baptized again; the harbor is too cold, so he sets up a large inflatable pool in the middle of the church room. "There's not a lot of, you know, single people in their twenties and thirties here I mean, I don't know why!" Begich Towers 110 Kenai Street, Whittier, AK 99693 Studio Beds Property Information 196 Units 14 Stories Built in 1956 Begich Towers Description Experience Whittier living at Begich Towers. Begich Towers is an interesting housing complex where 95% of the Whittier population lives in this one 14 story condo building. This page was last edited on 21 December 2022, at 18:47. Between 700,000 and 900,000 people visit the town annually primarily via cruise ship or passing through en route to Anchorage but most dont stay beyond one afternoon. If you wish to report an issue or seek an accommodation, please, 442-H New York Standard Operating Procedures. Actor's Brother Spills The Beans, Cricketer Virat Kohli Says His Wife Anushka Sharma Has Made Massive Sacrifices As A Mother, New Meme Unlocked: Pakistani Cooking Show Contestant Presents Store-Bought Biryani To Judges, Goes Viral, Is Introducing A Sex Toy To Your Love Life A Good Idea? Before the twentieth century, the area had been used for centuries by the Chugach Indians to traverse the Kenai Peninsula. The apartment buildingsknown as Begich Towerswent viral on TikTok when podcaster Olivia Snake (@livvontheedge) posted a video about the strange . If you have a disability that is preventing you from experiencing this The smallest homes in the building are efficiency units, largerfloor plans have two or three bedrooms. The majority of the Alaska Railroad workers commute from Anchorage,as does Whittiers mayor and all but one of the towns police officers. Home Owner's Association privileges include the use of a large common room in the building for parties & entertaining as well as additional storage lockers & freezer spaces for rent. Most Whittier residents love the tiny towns remote status. Since the vehicular passage in the tunnel is one lane, inbound and outbound traffic is staggered in fifteen minute intervals twice per hour; in the winter this shrinks to five-minute windows to keep the tunnel warm. Thus, it is possible to save on heating here, which is especially important when a strong wind blows here most of the year, it is snowing or raining. Viewing: Begich Towers | Desktop Version | Listing Updated: 01/20/2023, Matanuska-Susitna Borough Apartments (142), Anchorage School District Apartments (603). The first thing we noticed when we arrived in Whittier was the windwe were barely out of the car when a powerful gust pushed us down the hill. ", Beverly Walts has been bartending at the Anchor Inn ever since she moved to Whittier from Texas in the early 1990s. This dental device was sold to fix patients' jaws. The mostly unused Buckner Building was not repaired following the earthquake, and remained unused. The post office is near the buildings entrance and the police station is just down the hall. The Hodge Building was constructed as three separate towers connected by metal plates. In the darkest days of winter you can sometimes find teachers in the garden, sitting underneath the natural spectrum grow lights. Most condos have extensively updated and remodeled since then. The towers are not 100% occupied. A small percentage of the population lives in Whittier Manor, a low-rise condo that overlooks the clanking rail yard, and a couple of people live on their boats year round. Hes been here ever since. In addition to the residential units, the first floor has several busine. One benefit of living at BTI is that kids dont need jackets when they go to school in the winter because the towns school was built immediately behind Begich Towers; it connects to the base of the west tower via an underground tunnel, which shields the kids from Whittiers extreme winter weather. In fact, what makes Whittier unique is that all the locals live in one large 14-story building! The weather might prevent you from leaving the building for months at a time but you can go to the Kozy Korner grocery store in pajamas and slippers. It has vacant units for sale and some units belonging to seasonal residents. Not all transplants survive the unique lifestyle at BTI. Some people manage to carve out comfortable lives for themselves within this extreme environment, and looking out over Whittier harbor at dawn, or on a snowy day while a neighbor fed the fat crows perched on his windowsill, it wasnt so hard to imagine why someone might choose the limitations of a place like Whittier over the limitations of life in a big city down in the Lower 48. Later people started living here and it became an apartment. Disclaimer: ActiveRain, Inc. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. More. In the US state of Alaska, there is a town called Whittier. Were All in for Arena Reel Star! The 14-story building is a former Army barracks built in 1956, yet it houses all the amenities you'd expect from a small town: a laundromat, health clinic, corner store, police station, church, video store, city offices and the homes of nearly 200 residents. Whittier is surrounded by breathtaking mountains and home to majestic animals such as reindeer who live in a small enclosure just outside of Begich Towers, and humpback whales who frolic in the pristine waters of Prince William Sound. However, things are changing here. While most of the town was destroyed, the rail lines, docks, deep water wells, and massive concrete buildings remained largely intact. Powered by Enjoy waterfall views from the 6th floor and an abundance of awesome outdoor activities. Alaska's laws often reflect the needs of a sparsely populated state, which presents challenges for policing within Begich Towers. Orlet us know your school story in the comments section below and share this info with your friends and family, and keep readingIndiatimes.comfor the latest trending news. Some keep them for watching whales or goats grazing, but one resident admits theyre for determining if your husbands at the bar.. Instead they go directly from the cruise ship to a train that takes them to Anchorage. But in fact, the opposite happenedpeople moved out.). Anyone who wanted to bring a car or truck into the town had to ship their vehicle into town via boat or train. After the army left in 1960, Whittier citizens took over the building's 196 units. Directions by Sea: The Alaska Marine Highway serves the community of Whittier, AK with passenger service onboard the M/V Aurora. Kids with questions on their homework can go down the hall and knock on the door to the teachers apartment. But it poses such a liability hazard that the city finally put a fence around it last fall. , there was an army barrack at this place, due to which all the facilities are available here. Charming small towns like Whittier are one of many reasons that Alaska is a place that every seasoned traveler must visit at least once. Call or text 9073010189 for information on Buyer's Representation Services(NO COST TO HOME BUYERS). Photo via California Sunday Magazine Value 3.7. Check The Alaska Marine Highways Website for a current Port Schedule for Whittier AK. The drive through tunnel closes every night at 10:30 pm. I mean, when you think of all those things that you value in a community, we found that here. Floral Dresses To Chic Bags - Heres How I Refreshed My Summer Closet From Flipkart On A Budget! "These are for finding out if your husband's at the bar! (There once was a combination video rental store and tanning salon, but its been closed for a while now.) Behind Whittiers everyday peculiarities is a community thoroughly circumscribed by geography, architecture, and weather. Gary Carr works at the Kozy Korner Store, one of Whittiers two grocery stores. Part of the heating system has been replaced. Do additional legal protections exist for the LGBTQ community at the state level in Alaska? During this time Whittier was a SECRET installation known as H-12. Jim carves figures of Alaskan animals out of native Alaskan ivory. In 1974, the large, extraordinarily secure building became a large condominium complex, ideally suited to shield residents from the harsh Alaskan climate. Most in Whittier eventually found their way to the building, which was renamed Begich Towers (or BTI) after a missing Congressman. Whittier Community School serves families with children in grades K-12 who live in the Begich Towers condos. Two winters ago the snowdrifts near Whittier School were piled so high that the principal let students go outside to take pictures of one another hanging from a street lamp. There are pleasant touches (such as the exteriors newer blue, cream, and peach paint scheme) that try to establish a playful identity for the formerly drab Hodge Building. The Buckner Building housed, among other things, a bowling alley, a movie theater, a shooting range, a barbershop, and a six-cell jail. The weather in this corner of Alaska is very unpredictable - winds blow at speeds of up to 60 miles per hour and snowfall reaches 250, The building was built in 1956 and during. Ironically, when the conversion was finished, more people moved out. The problems were traced back to the hydronic loop using water, which was susceptible to freezing, instead of a mixture of domestic water and glycol, which lowers the freezing point and prevents pipes from bursting due to ambient temperature drops below zero degrees Celsius. The town averages around 250 inches of snow annually, but some recent years have seen closer to 400 inches. Editor: Steven Tyler. It is one of Alaska's most famous buildings, mostly, because more than half of Whittier lives here. The town of Whittier, AK is served by a tunnel with a toll of $13 per round trip. The population drops to less than two hundred, and the streets empty as most of the town moves back indoors. Nov 2020 Solo. Dickason said, "No one's going to build a home on property that they don't own.". In addition to residential apartments, the building houses Whittiers grocery store, laundromat, medical clinic, police department, post office, and the city offices. Begich Towers serves as a cozy condominium which features a post office, general store, police station, laundromat, hospital, mayors office, and a heated indoor pool. Public accommodations protections include being unfairly refused services or entry to or from places accessible to the public (retail stores, restaurants, parks, hotels, etc). The Exxon Valdez oil spill occurred when a ship ran into the Bligh Reef off the coast of Alaska, spilling nearly eleven million gallons of crude oil into Prince William Sound. Due to bad weather and roads, locals are not able to go anywhere and if they somehow manage to go out, they face lots of problems while coming back because there is no direct way to reach this place. Come experience our Historical two and a half mile (one way) tunnel. Housing protections include being unfairly evicted, denied housing, or refused the ability to rent or buy housing. Each office independently owned and operated. ", Gary Carr works at the Kozy Korner Store, which is housed on the ground floor of Begich Towers. All desirable qualities for the military, to be sure however its drawback was its isolation; at the time the region had no rail or vehicular access. Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}604620N 1484108W / 60.77222N 148.68556W / 60.77222; -148.68556 Under federal law, housing and employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity is unlawful. One unique feature, there is a pedestrian tunnel linking the complex to the . [ During the winter of 1956/57, the Port of Whittier received a record snowfall of 72 feet. The first floor of the building had almost everything a city needs to function. "It really isn't," the mayor responded. 100 Kenai St Unit 414, a condos home located in Whittier, AK has 2 beds, 1 baths, and is 932 square feet. Every kid is seen. Top ways to experience Begich Towers Incorporated and nearby attractions. The structure is notable for being the residence for nearly the entire population of the town, as well as containing many of its public facilities. (See it on Google Street view). Heres How To Choose, Where To Buy & More. Next to the school and towers is the indoor playground (pictured), which protects kids from the elements year-round. A 1956 Fairbanks Daily News-Miner articlereported the new construction in Whittier: The tower steel and concrete Hodge Building might have been lifted out of New York City and dropped into the Alaskan wilderness intact. booj. There is almost no reason to leave the building, which on some days, is a major benefit because the city of Whittier is also famous for its windy and rainy weather. Named in honor of General Simon Bolivar Buckner, the large building crammed an entire military post into one building. A tiny community in Alaska takes standard "small town" vibes to a whole new level though. In the winter he keeps warm with space heaters and staves off boredom by watching movies and reading books on his iPad. In 1941 the United States military took an interest in Whittier to function as the backup port to the primary one at Seward, about 50 miles to the south. Experience Whittier living at Begich Towers. Reviewed on /Date(1606051739000+0800)/ carlsonstephanie. Over the years the building has started to look a little rundown. And for good reason: Sustained winds of sixty miles per hour are not uncommon. This property is not currently available for sale. Whittier residents who ventured to Anchorage for an evening of fun, and missed the 10:30 tunnel cut off time have been known to spend the night in their car. Whittier started to emerge from the Armys shadow when the city was officially incorporated in 1969. on ActiveRain. Regarding the dating question, she said, "Nobody really dates here because we all grew up together and that'd be kinda weird. Begich Towers is nearly earthquake and fire-proof. The name of the 14-floor building is The Begich Tower which is the residence for nearly the entire population of the city. It was part of a completely self-sufficient complex designed to allow its residents to stay indoors for months at a time during the harsh coastal Alaskan winters. The community here, it's so nice that you don't really ever feel sad. Dr. Michael Costa is a visiting dentist who spends nearly half his year traveling between Alaskan villages, and Erik Linduska is a dental health aide therapist based out of King Cove. 3 Bedroom 1 Bath condo for sale in the historical Begich Towers located in Whittier, Alaska. (Not only do books take up a lot of space, but they have a tendency to mold on boats.) During the summer the towns population swells as boaters, fishermen, seasonal workers, and tourists descend upon the small port. To HOME BUYERS ) population lives in this one 14 story condo building serves! Have seen closer to 400 inches serves the community of Whittier, AK to Bags... ( there once was a SECRET installation known as H-12 extensively updated and remodeled since then feedback accommodation... Into one building no, it 's like, 'Is it a cult? ' that takes to... Guam in her junior year, is one of Alaska & # x27 ; s most famous,. 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